BEIJING, Sept. 29 (Xinhuanet) -- The Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction concluded here Thursday, adopting Beijing Action for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia.

    The following is the full text of the document: 

Beijing Action for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia

    The Asian Conference on Disaster Reduction (ACDR) was convened in Beijing, China on 27-29 September 2005 at the invitation of the Government of the People's Republic of China. A total of 385 participants attended the conference, which includes delegations from 42 Asian and South Pacific countries, of which 33 were represented at the ministerial level, and 13 UN agencies and international organizations. The meeting was organized to facilitate the implementation of the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) outcome that is the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters (HFA).

    The participants developed and herewith present the following Beijing Action for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia to enhance regional cooperation in the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action; 

    I. CONTEXT

    Composing the most disaster-prone region of the world and home to more than a third of the world's population, Asian countries suffer disasters every year. The increasing vulnerability of people in Asia is largely related to the demographic conditions, rapid technological and socio-economic changes, hugely expanding urbanization and development within high risk environment, among other conditions. The impact of such catastrophic events in Asia as the frequently occurring typhoons and tropical cyclones, annual floods of increasing severity, the Bam earthquake in Iran in 2003, and especially the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 underline the costs of the loss of lives, livelihoods and material damages. Additional impacts go far beyond direct social and economic costs in the resulting and often long-termed psychological and frequently pervasive public health or environmental shocks to Asian societies.

    Given the numerical magnitudes, professional talents and dynamic features of many Asian economies and their importance to world trade and commerce, no country in the world today is immune to disasters. The current global concern about the rapid international spread of a possible pandemic disease such as Avian Flu is only one example that conveys both the urgency and the necessity of sustained investment in widespread public awareness on disaster risks and governmental commitments to disaster preparedness, response and reduction through regional cooperation.     

    Recurring disasters pose a great development challenge for all countries in Asia. The impact of disasters is on the rise and the need for relief assistance is increasing. Therefore, increasing emergency relief assistance reduces resources for development expenditure. Also, disaster events push socio-economically marginalized people into poverty, increasing their dependency on natural resources. This, in turn, degrades the environment and further increases their vulnerability to disaster risk. To break such a negative cycle and to sustain socio-economic development, disaster risk reduction should become an integral part of sustainable development, evident in all annual programming actions.

    Meanwhile, there is now a clear understanding that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) cannot be achieved without consideration of disaster risk, and that sustainable development cannot be achieved unless disaster risk reduction is mainstreamed into development policies, planning and implementation. It is widely acknowledged that disaster reduction perspectives should be incorporated into every country's national development plans and related implementation strategies. The good news, however, is that technology now provides the capability of and opportunity for better understanding of disaster risks and taking proactive actions to reduce disaster losses before they occur.

    This context has influenced the outcome document of WCDR: the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. This document was adopted by the UN Member States that participated in the WCDR, demonstrating a global commitment to disaster risk reduction in the context of development.

    As a follow-up on the HFA, a number of initiatives are under way at national, regional and international levels. For example, the ISDR System has developed Strategic Directions for the ISDR System to Assist the Implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters. The Pacific Islands region has developed its Framework for Action 2005-2015 entitled An Investment for Sustainable Development in Pacific Island Countries. The Africa region has established an Africa Advisory Group on Disaster Risk Reduction and an African Regional Platform of National Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction to implement its Africa Regional Strategy for and Plan of Action on Disaster Risk Reduction.

    In Asia, governments, at the invitation of the Government of the People's Republic of China, came together in Beijing in May 2004 to discuss disaster risk reduction in preparation for the WCDR. There they produced a document entitled Beijing Declaration on the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction, advancing the outcomes of the regional meetings organized by ADRC, ADPC and ASEAN.

    Since the WCDR, the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee on Disaster Management is committed to strengthen the implementation of HFA through its ASEAN regional programme for disaster management. In August, ASEAN countries adopted the ASEAN agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response, further enhancing regional cooperation among member countries. The ADPC Regional Consultative Committee (RCC) on Disaster Management in Hanoi in May 2005 adopted the Hanoi RCC5 statement on mainstreaming disaster risk management into development in Asian countries which committed member countries to mainstream DRM into national development policies, planning and implementation.

    Now, from 27-29 September 2005, the Government of the People's Republic of China has hosted an "Asian Conference on disaster Reduction" to facilitate the implementation of the WCDR outcome that is the HFA. Participants have developed and herewith present this document "Beijing Action for Disaster Risk Reduction in Asia" in order to enhance regional cooperation in the implementation of HFA;

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